"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
...
It is good for a rim lock. Ideally, you don't fit a rim lock at all, but
a
BS 3621 mortise lock at each of 1/3 and 2/3 of the door height.

It's not really a rim lock, as rim locks are entirely surface mounted, so
can be kicked off. On the PBS1, the lock wraps around the edge of the door
and the main mounting screws drive into the door through the edge, giving
much better strength.

Even the old warded rim locks that adorn Victorian interior doors and that
would yield to a hair grip usually had screws through a plate over the door
edge. If it mounts on the surface of the door, it is, by definition, a rim
lock.

OK, maybe not quite as much strength as a mortice, but
getting there. You will almost certainly lose the hinges before the lock
in
a kicking attack, I would have thought.

More important is the strength of the door frame and the latch plate fitted
to it. That will usually give before the door or the lock or, if you have
the recommended pair and a half of 100mm long metal hinges, the hinges.

The problem with mortice locks is that

(a) they're a complete faff to lock and unlock, needing a key even from
inside

Not necessarily, although it is more secure not to have a thumb turn on the
inside.

(b) the keys are the size of Tunisia

Mine is about 3mm longer than the Yale rim lock key, because it has an extra
pin in the cylinder, but is otherwise similar in size.

(c) If you have a fire in the night, your children will end up as frazzled
blackened balls pressed against the locked door

Generally, you need most security during the day, particularly when the
house is unoccupied. At night, I use a BS 3621 nightlatch and some very
heavy duty draw bolts. However, the safest route out of most houses in a
fire is through the window; hallways are easily blocked by smoke. An adult
can hang from the window and only have a relatively small drop, while
children might benefit from a flexible window escape ladder.

Colin Bignell